Remember, those officers were lynched because they were photographing children in that neighbourhood and the immediate suspicion was that they were part of a kidnap gang working that area.

I remember, but that's not all there was to it. There are further layers to the story. I won't hijack the discussion by going into it here, we can talk about it some other time. None of the additional info helps make Ebrard look better for his lack of leadership that night.

I would like to like him, because my political sympathies are much closer to PRD than PRI or PAN, but that event is a big stumbling block.

I would like to like him, because my political sympathies are much closer to PRD than PRI or PAN, but that event is a big stumbling block.

Me too, but I can´t stomach him, for a lot of reasons. I think he has done some good things, yes, but they were not well planned, or well thought out, and little, if any, thought was giving to people who were going to be displaced, and businesses that were going to be effected. They just showed up one day and started tearing up miles and miles of street. Due to all the rain yesterday work has come to a halt, so another day with no progress.
I wish PRD had a decent candidate, I think someone who really believed in the party platform could do some real good. I think a lot of what Ebrard does is flash. And he does a lot of dumb crap too, that benefits very few people, leaving things undone that would benefit many.

You have the advantage of having education and skills that enable you to earn a living

Finished high school (UK equivalent), a waste of two years. Plodded along in a "job" for years, and taught myself everything I wanted and needed to know!

While I accept that some people have the disadvantage of lack of formal documents, I think you are talking about a small minority, and the ingenuity that these people show in "making a living" could easily be channeled in a legal and more socially acceptable way if, as you suggest, they are serious about providing for themselves and their families.

Also, if you read my previous comments, you will understand I am not necessarily blaming these people, but suggesting what policies a serious, reforming president should adopt. Therefore, removing this plague from our streets should go hand-in-hand with having a policy to help (regularize) those who really are in need, and not those who are just taking the easy option.

Bump. Thought I'd scoot this one to the top in case anyone had any thoughts about Pena Nieto's Guadalajara gaffe. What do you think? A non-event, a dooming error, or somewhere in between? How would you compare and contrast the way Mexican voters react to incidents like this to the way voters react in the US?

Rough translation: “The problem is not so much lack of literacy as of claiming to have a degree of culture that one does not possess. […] Being well-read and cultured is no guarantee of being a good political leader. Luis Echeverría and José López Portillo were widely read men. Echeverría in particular often made statements that showed that he had indeed read the books that he quoted. Miguel de la Madrid was the director of the Fondo de Cultura Económica [a publishing house that focuses on cultural and scientific titles]. Carlos Salinas de Gortari has a well-based literary culture and an impressive library.”

I think it and the follow up comment from his daughter hurt him. Based on the posts from my Mexican facebook friends, they have spent most of this week poking fun at him.
The worst thing is not that he couldn't remember a book he's read, the worst thing is that he was unable to improvise on the spot. I mean he should at least know the names and authors of some "iconic Mexican books" right. He could have easily said something like "I imagine I'm like most Mexicans, marked individually as well as collectively by Juan Rulfo's Llano en Llamas." The person who is going to lead the country needs to be able to think on his feet and improvise--even if that means telling a white lie.

I think the opposite! I, too, am not a great reader of fiction, and would be hard-pressed to honestly mention two or three books I've read, and could comment on.

I'd be more impressed with someone who said so, perhaps mentioning something else which occupied his time, although it would take a lot for me to be impressed by Peña Nieto!

I think, irrespective of our particular political leanings, we are going to miss Calderón. Could you imagine EPN doing "The Royal Tour", and it being seen as anything other than a blatant publicity stunt?